Minwax Announces Aged Barrel as 2023 Color of the Year

Minwax® brand revealed its 2023 Color of the Year: Aged Barrel. Neutral, warm and dependable, Aged Barrel celebrates wood’s imperfections to help DIYers—both new and experienced—bring touches of their unique personal styles to any room.

“As new routines push us to adjust in many aspects of life, simplified color choices help provide brief moments of reprieve,” says Sue Kim, director of color marketing for Minwax. “The 2023 Color of the Year, Aged Barrel, delivers just that—a reassuring and nurturing mood that embraces the organic beauty, natural aging and inherent imperfections of wood surfaces to inspire more mindful living.”

The 2023 Color of the Year is geared toward helping people connect the past and future to create their own stories. Its classic simplicity is approachable and inviting, providing the flexibility many desire in their most personal spaces where they retreat and come together to start new traditions, while also honoring and reflecting on the passage of time. With a soft gray undertone reflecting material strengthened over the years, Aged Barrel anchors individuals to their pasts with its vintage, handcrafted look and touch of sophistication that serves as the foundation for a variety of complementary color palettes.

Minwax developed three corresponding color palettes to showcase and complement the 2023 Color of the Year in any room of your home. Aged Barrel pairs well with dark wood tones, all-over grays, chalky neutrals and bold pops of color and is complemented by a coordinating selection of Minwax wood stains, including Charcoal Gray, Silvered Gray, Dark Walnut, Gray Mist, Rustic Beige, Vintage Orange, Botanical and Gentle Yellow. Whether adding character to a cherished object or refurbishing an antique find, consumers can use Aged Barrel interior stain to bring out wood’s natural grain and inherent, imperfect beauty while maintaining its texture and adding joyful, nature-inspired accents.

“Here, rustic style and modern sensibility harmonize,” says Kim. “Aged Barrel highlights the grain and natural beauty of the wood itself to soothe and comfort as it bridges the gap between two very different eras.”

To see other 2023 Color of the Year announcements, click here.